It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.
Monument details
| HER Number: | TQ 93 SW 185 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Route of Second World War Pipeline Under the Ocean (PLUTO) |
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Summary
During the Second World War the British government constructed a pipeline network under the English Channel. The network was designed to convey fuel to the Allied Forces in Normandy more easily and safely than could be achieved by oil tankers which were thought to be vulnerable to attack and subject to disruption by bad weather. The PLUTO network consisted of pipelines that conveyed fuel from the west coast English ports to the south coast from where the pipeline ran under the sea to France. There were two main departure points on the south coast, one on the Isle of Wight and one at Dungeness. To approach Dungeness the route ran through west Kent and arrived at a number of pumping stations on the south coast.
| Grid Reference: | TQ 9128 3202 |
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| Map Sheet: | TQ93SW |
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| Parish: | APPLEDORE, ASHFORD, KENT |
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| MARDEN, MAIDSTONE, KENT |
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| STAPLEHURST, MAIDSTONE, KENT |
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| BROOKLAND, SHEPWAY, KENT |
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| IVYCHURCH, SHEPWAY, KENT |
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| LYDD, SHEPWAY, KENT |
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| OLD ROMNEY, SHEPWAY, KENT |
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| SNARGATE, SHEPWAY, KENT |
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Monument Types
- PIPELINE (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- PLUTO SITE (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
Full description
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During the Second World War the British government constructed a pipeline network under the English Channel. The network was designed to convey fuel to the Allied Forces in Normandy more easily and safely than could be achieved by oil tankers which were thought to be vulnerable to attack and subject to disruption by bad weather. The PLUTO network consisted of pipelines that conveyed fuel from the west coast English ports to the south coast from where the pipeline ran under the sea to France. There were two main departure points on the south coast, one on the Isle of Wight and one at Dungeness. To approach Dungeness the route ran through west Kent and arrived at a number of pumping stations on the coast.
The exact route through Kent is in parts unknown but can be traced somewhat in aerial photographs from the 1940s. (1,2)
<1> Royal Air Force, 1946 -47, Aerial Photographic Survey of Kent 1946 -7 (Photograph (Print)). SKE12507.
<2> Chris and Mari Gosling, 2004 (3rd ed, Marden and PLUTO (Unpublished document). SKE13455.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | Photograph (Print): Royal Air Force. 1946 -47. Aerial Photographic Survey of Kent 1946 -7. 3116 Run 7. Black and White. |
| <2> | Unpublished document: Chris and Mari Gosling. 2004 (3rd ed. Marden and PLUTO. |
